Electric refining-crucible.



J'. H. REID.

ELBGTRI REFINING 'GRUGIBLR APPLICATION FIIED JULY 19, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE;

JAMES HENRY REID, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 THE PATENTS PURCHASING COMPANY, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, A GORPORA- y TION 0F WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC REFINING-CRUCIBLE.

Patented iiiayia, 1912.

Application filed July 19, 1911. Serial No. 639,469.

To all whom i5-may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES HENRY REID, a citizen of the United States, residing at 352 Mulberry avenue, in the city of Newark, State of New Jersey,'United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Refining-Crucibles, of which the following is an'specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in electric refining crucibles and the objects of the invention 'are to facilitate the initiall heating of the Crucible and avoid the necessity of using an excessive amount of current to effect the heating and itconsists essentially of'current conducting elements operative inrecesses in the wall lof the Crucible `in the 4manner hereinafter more fully set Crucible of any usual or desirable shape and preferably formed of refractory material such as dolomite or magnesite. The Crucible may if desired be mounted with freedom of rotation in th manner, for example shown and described )in my United States Patent No. 920391 Vdated May 4th, 1909.' As illustrated herein however, the Crucible is stationary and is supplied with current from Conducting rings 10 and 11 at the top and bottom thereof.- l

Following the present invention, the side walls of the Crucible are formed with recesses 12 and 13 extending from the top to near the bottom, and adapted to containcurrent Conducting elements B and C which are slidable therein and adjusted by suitable means Such as the adjusting screws 14 connected thereto and extending through side brackets 15 on thev Crucible. If desired those recesses might communicatewith the interior of the Crucible. A current conducting element D, is also provided adapted to be moved.

into Contact with the bottom' and shaped to conform to the bottom and extending across nearly the full width thereof. This member is connected in parallel with the ring 11, and is adapted to be moved into and out of engagement by sui-table meaiissuch as the screw 17 through the plate 18.

Itwill be seenthat when the current Conducting elements B and' C are -in innermost position, the conductivity of the sides will e very much increased.- This 'will be further facilitated by moving the element D into engagement 'with the bottom. After4 the 'c rucible is once heated the current Conducting -elen'ients may be` vwithdrawn and the current passed wholly through the .Crucible itself. They withdrawal of the elements' v might beeifected automatically by meanscontrolled by temperature-of the Crucible in a 'manner similar to that described for elee-A trode regulation in my co-pending applical tion Serial No. 6110345, filed July 24E/11.. With regard to the starting of the operation it may be explained that the material-in the,v

crucible will bei-in a molten state, and will structed without departing from the spiritv or scope thereof, it yis intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. lVhat I claim as my invention is: v1. An electric refining Crucible having means for` varying the conductivity of the .-,walls thereof during the operation of the furnace.

2. An electric refining Crucible formed of material only possessing'conductivity when heated and having means for reducing the .conductivity of thecrucible as the operation.

proceeds.

3. An electric refining Crucible having a second class current conducting wall and a 4conducting element, contacting with .the same and adapted to be moved into positions to increa se the conductivity oft-he sides.

Al. An electric refining Crucible having a .recessed Current Conductingwall, a current Conduct-ing element` movable therein and means for moving the current conducting element inwardly and outwardly.

5. An electric refining Crucible of refractherefore heat the Crucible sufficiently torender it conductive,...In4 the case of theV ioo tory material lifwing recesses extending nected in paralll with the bottom-'Current 10 down the Walls arid current conducting eleconnection.

ments movable. in the' recess. i in. Wtriess whereof have hereunto `set 6. An electric refining Crucible having remy hand 1n 'the presence of two Witnesses.

crsssd ,Walls and current connections at. the l JAMES HENRY REHl iop and bottom of the Willis, current conducting members in the recesses, and a current Witnesses: contacting member movable into engage fRUsEL S. SMART,

ment with 'alle bqttom of the Crucible and c011- M. HBER'rsON.V 

